Shigs in Pit, Brown County State Park and Kuehnert Dairy Farm named “Best of Indiana”

With over five thousand votes cast, the public has selected the winners of the annual Best of Indiana awards. The awards, presented by Visit Indiana, asked Hoosiers to select Indiana’s Best Local Barbecue Joint, Best Trail and Best U-Pick Experience. The winners are:

“We had a number of terrific nominees for this year’s Best of Indiana awards, and our winners highlight some great destinations in our state,” said Mark Newman, Visit Indiana’s executive director. “Our mouth-watering local barbecue joints and family-friendly U-pick farms are great examples of Indiana’s agritourism and culinary profile. Additionally, Brown County State Park is a world-class destination with one of the finest biking trail systems in the country.”

Indiana abounds with the enticing aroma of slow-smoked meats skillfully tended by Hoosier pit masters. They’ve taken the best styles from across the country and given them a unique Hoosier spin. With Indiana’s abundance of locally-sourced meats, our state is second-to-none when it comes to barbecue offerings. Voters had many delicious candidates to choose from and they named Shigs in Pit in Fort Wayne as the Best Local Barbecue Joint in Indiana. Squealers BBQ (Mooresville) and Barbecue and Bourbon (Speedway) rounded out the top three vote getters in this delectable category.

Indiana is rightfully earning national attention for our extensive network of biking and hiking trails. Voters deemed Brown County State Park as home to the Best Trail in Indiana. With urban trails connecting popular destinations in our large cities, and rugged off-road trails covering our most beautiful topography, Indiana has much to offer for outdoor enthusiasts. Rivergreenway in Fort Wayne and the Monon Trail in Indianapolis were also in the top three.

Indiana’s U-pick destinations let you bring the best of the farm to your table. Pumpkins, apples, blueberries, peaches, melons, tomatoes, strawberries and so much more! Picking the perfect future jack-o’-lantern at a pumpkin patch is an annual tradition for many. Voters named Kuehnert Dairy Farm in Fort Wayne the state’s best U-pick experience. Tuttle Orchards in Greenfield and Stonycreek Farms in Noblesville finished second and third respectively.

Nominees for Best Local Barbecue Joint, Best Trails and Best U-Pick Experience were recommended by members of Indiana’s travel, tourism and hospitality industry with final selections made by Visit Indiana. The competition began in early September and the public could vote for up to five nominees in each category.